May 8th - Exploring the Hills and Valleys and Jerusalem

Here are a few shots from the days. I'll add more details when I return.

A few of the current day Jerusalem as seen from the Mount of Olives. The Dome of the Rock, (location of the Temple and High Place in Bible times) the gold domed mosque, is in the center of the photo.

The garden of Gethsemane.

Visitors come to kiss the rock where many believe Christ came to pray the night before his arrest.

More olive trees on the Mount of Olives.

The "security" wall built by Israel along the border of Palestine. This is a very sensitive political issues. More on that another time.

Mosaic tile floor in the Church of the Nativity that marks the traditional site of Jesus' birth. This Byzantine era (565 AD) church is one of the oldest surviving churches.

Church of St. Catherine where the Pope holds Christmas Eve mass.

Stained glass from the Church of St. Catherine.

One of three presumed sights where the shepherds were told of Jesus' birth.

One of the "original" jars that contained the Dead Sea Scrolls found in Qumran.

The grandson of Mr. Kando, an antiques dealer that Bedouins took their find to. He was one of the first to recognize their value. It is an interesting story I'll describe in more detail.

The Place of the Skull. Some believe this is the location of Jesus' crucifixion and burial in a nearby tomb. The bottom (mouth) of the skull is hidden by vegetation at the moment.

The Garden Tomb where some believe Jesus was buried and arose.

Erin (my roommate for the trip) and James.

Ferrell Jr. picks up trash around the opening to Herod's family tomb so we don't have to PhotoShop it out. Many sites were just covered with litter.

The cleaned up opening to tomb where Herod's family is buried. Notice the rolling stone in the upper left corner. This was a common way of sealing tombs at the time and depending on the size, may be much like the stone rolled in front of Jesus' tomb.

Wall of geraniums outside our hotel entrance.